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Ralph John: The Soldier

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American Experience

Ralph John: The Soldier

Season 29 Episode 8

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Just a few months before he jumped off with the first wave of the Meuse-Argonne offensive, Private Ralph John had been working on his family’s farm in McIntosh, South Dakota. His training as a soldier consisted of two days’ practice with a rifle, and a short stint driving a bayonet into a mannequin. Then he was shipped out, handed a gas mask, and sent into battle.

Since pre-colonial times, Americans' relationship to the natural world has shaped politics, policy, commerce, entertainment and culture. Delve into our environment history through our films exploring varied topics, from our struggles to exert dominion over nature to our attempts to understand and protect it.